Hand exercisers are a well-known method of exercising the muscles of the fingers, hands, wrists, and forearms to increase the strength/function of these body parts along with rehabilitating the soft tissue (cartilage, ligaments, tendons, nerves) but these hand exercisers have fallen short in many aspects. Previous references that produce an exercise/rehabilitation component typically teach a mechanical means of resistance such as a spring, elastic webbing, rubber band, pulley with weights, elastic bands, loops that fit over the distal end of the fingers that are connected with elastic bands, or a simple rubber ball, but few have shown or proposed that the resistant force could be produced by a means other than a physical resistance, such as a magnetic field. These previous reference devices have used many types of resistance methods that provide the desired exercise, but many have been limited by their mechanical design to provide only a benefit to one group of muscles such as the flexor or extensor muscle groups. U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,181 to Ditsh, et al. discloses a hand exerciser that limits the user to a flexion contraction only. U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,625 to Vonk limits the user to an extension contraction only. U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,734 to Greenfield and U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,983 to Trent both depict a deformable elastic webbing that is attached to a rigid outer frame to hold the elastic webbing tight within a rigid frame, where the user inserts their fingers into openings that are formed within the elastic webbing material to perform the desired exercise against the resistance of the webbing. The fingers can then be exercised in not only flexion/extension exercises, but can also be exercised in abduction/adduction movements. These types of exercisers are a definite improvement over exercisers that offer a one-dimensional exercise, such as only flexion, or only extension.
There are a few previous references to gloves with a magnetic element. U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,660 to Gilliland teaches a modified work glove featuring a magnetic tip that may make it easier to pick up and hold small metal objects by way of a magnet contained in the tip of the glove finger. U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 20060185057 by Terpinski uses a stretchy material to form what is called a finger glove, with a mounted magnet at the distal end of the finger glove. The Magnetic Finger is designed for use in the automotive industry to hold small ferrous metal parts such as nuts, bolts, screws along with other small metallic parts when they are being installed to avoid dropping them, or in a confined area where the entire hand or more than one finger could not be used to install the part. Both Gilliland and Terpinski use a single magnet for attracting and holding a small metal part. In addition U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,931 to Russell teaches a stretchable strap with small permanent magnets that may be strapped around the hand for easing pain and healing effects. U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,178 teaches a magnetic ring worn on the little finger of the hand, around all of the fingers of the hand, or around all of the toes of the foot for aiding circulation in the body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,500 to Jacobson discusses a portable orthopedic device that is referred to as a glove with magnetic elements but is a mitten with all fingers moving together. This mitten employs magnetic forces to flex and rehabilitate body members. However, Jacobson does not provide for moving or exercising individual fingers, nor does it utilize an opposable thumb to accomplish a higher level of reconditioning for the human hand.
In the health and exercise field, a device and method are needed that utilizes a magnetic force capable of exercising individual digits of the hand for multiple types of exercises for the hand, fingers, wrist, and forearms of the human arm.